Fire kills at least 100 and injures 150 at wedding in Iraq

A fire at a wedding in norther Iraq has killed at least 100 and injured another 150, according to local officials.

The blaze took place on Tuesday evening at a wedding hall in the Al-Hamdaniya district of the northern Nineveh province, part of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

“All efforts are being made to provide relief to those affected by the unfortunate accident,” Health Ministry spokesman Saif al-Badr told the state-run Iraqi News Agency.

Some 113 people were killed in the fire, according to preliminary figures, Nineveh deputy governor Hasan al-Allaq told Reuters.

“The fire led to the collapse of parts of the hall as a result of the use of highly flammable, low-cost building materials that collapse within minutes when fire breaks out,” an official with the local civil defence directorate said, according to state media.

The fire inside the Al Haytham Wedding Hall was caused by fireworks and candles, defence officials said, CNN reports.

Apparent security footage shared on social media by local broadcaster AVA Media appears to show flaming debris falling on guests inside the hall.

The bridge and groom were among those killed in the fire, according to journalist Sardar Sattar of the Kurdistan Chronicle.

Photos and videos from local media show the tangled wreckage of a building and firefighters making their way through the rubble.

Thousands of people visited local hospitals in the Hamdaniyah area throughout the early morning hours to donate blood after the tragedy.

Officials will investigate the fire and Iraq’s ministry of Interior and Health will oversee relief efforts, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement, The Associated Press reports.